5.2 Revisiting the four cornerstones to mentoring adjunct faculty  (Page 3/6)

Professional development programs

Professional development must be aligned to the mission and vision of the higher education institution, with the ultimate goal of training faculty to carry out the vision of the organization. With a well designed mentoring program aligned to the mission and vision, adjunct faculty will become an active part of the system. Therefore the immediate mission of these faculty members is to discover and support their institutions’ goals and beliefs. To that end, the higher education institution values will be part and parcel of a professional development program (Biehl, 1996; Eib&Miller, 2006; Kelly, 2004). Such values may include diversity, globalization, technology and the like, with the ultimate design on training and performance. This comprehensive professional development program is the foundation for effectively mentoring adjuncts online.

Orientation programs often comprise the first professional development opportunity for new adjunct faculty members. Many times there is a deep learning curve for online adjunct faculty members because there is a great deal to learn in relatively a short period of time with orientations often lasting four weeks (Lynch, 2002). The mere geography of a learning platform - inclusive of learning drop boxes, discussion boards, communications chambers, and a myriad of other online features - underscore the importance of a comprehensive, thoughtful and friendly orientation sessions and continued professional development opportunities for adjunct online instructors.

Professional development creates and offers online growth opportunities to overcome obstacles such as planning teaching strategies, working with college and university students, and integrating everyday technology into the curriculum (Powers, 2006). Palloff and Pratt (2011) maintain that well trained online faculty is critical to excellent instructional strategies. As such, they suggest that professional development for online instructors needs to establish presence, create and maintain a learning community, and provide support for facilitating online courses. This list is only a partial representation of the needs of adjunct instructors who continue to be distanced from the everyday discussions of full time faculty members (Muirhead, 2006). Additionally, online tutorials were considered advantageous. Online companies offer a wide range of development opportunities to adjuncts, such as modules, web seminars, podcasts, streaming video, Webinars, and Breeze conferences (Lyons, 2007). Because of these training opportunities, higher education institutions have a high retention rate of quality educational leadership adjunct faculty. Due to the increased number of online adjuncts professors, it is apparent that colleges and universities will need to continue to provide support for the steady growth associated with online learning.

Other aspects of professional development programs deemed important by adjunct faculty members were establishing professional libraries, encouraging access to virtual adjunct department and college meetings, providing links to supportive materials, and making resources available on best online practices (Boylan, 2005). Others expressed that the etiquette of online teaching needs to be included in professional development agendas. The professional development needs will continue to increase as the tools of technology are upgraded and transformed.